Hermione walked back into the restaurant and sat in the seat across from Draco.

Draco looked up at her.

Hermione sat down as gracefully as she could.

"Like the dress Granger." Draco said, a smile tugging at his lips. "You look very different." He looked almost like as if he wanted to burst into laughter.

Hermione scowled at him. But it wasn't as if she was expecting him to stay silent. In all honesty if he had, she would've worried. However he was right. She did look different though. She had wiped off most of the makeup she was wearing. Her lips instead of a bright berry color, she now wore a very pale pink. She went with the more natural look. And her dress. It was a bright yellow sundress. It stopped at mid thigh and all though it was fitted, the dress was the antithesis of the other thing she was wearing before.

"Ahhhhhh!" There was a scream from the other side of the room.

Hermione whirled around.

The man that had propositioned her earlier before, now stood out of his chair. "My fish just opened its eyes and moved again. I swear it."

"Honey I've already told you the first time. The fish is dead. That's not possible." The woman on the other side of him answered.

"No, no, I'm telling the truth Maryann. The fish just moved… there, it did it again!" He pointed as he shouted hysterically.

"Charles, sit down, people are staring." The woman hissed.

"fine but I'm telling you that fish moved."

"Let's just get a new one." The woman hissed.

"What was that?" Hermione asked as she whirled around to face Draco.

"Why are you looking at me like that?"

"I don't know." Hermione said sarcastically.

"Now that's unheard of, Hermione Granger does not know the answer."

"Draco." Hermione warned.

"It's harmless, if I could, I would give him a pigtail but unfortunately the bastard's a muggle. I don't want this weekend to be ruined by the Ministry wanting my head for doing magic on a muuggle."

"But what exactly…" Hermione was cut off by a man's scream.

"That, that, that…"

"What now Charles."

"That Cornish hen just got up and danced!"

"What?"

"I'm serious Maryann, look!"

"You know what, Charles I do not know what is wrong with you but I think we should just head back to the car. Maybe the heat's getting to you."

"Maryann, I'm not jesting. Look it's doing it again!" He pointed furiously to the Cornish hen.

The woman looked down at her plate. Then looked up at him. "Would you stop embarrassing us!" She hissed.

Hermione turned back around to look at Draco. "Thank you."

"It was my pleasure.."
-------------

"So this is Dublin!" Hermione exclaimed as she stared out the window.

"Yep, Granger help me find a parking lot, we only have ten minutes to get to the tour."

"What?"

"I booked us a tour."

"But why?" Hermione looked at him.

"There, I see one. Hang on Hermione."

Hermione thanked Merlin that she was wearing her seatbelt as Draco took a very sharp turn. "I think I got whiplash."

"Ha ha Granger. And I knew you would want to go on a tour. After all you are Hermione Granger. You suck up knowledge like a vampire suck's blood."

Hermione hit him in the arm.

"It's not a bad thing, it's just a matter of a fact Hermione." Draco said laughing, "Now get ready to run because we have eight minutes now."

Hermione listened enthralled as the tour guide explained vividly about what happened in Dublin during the revolution. She'd read it before but actually seeing the city and having simeine describe it was a whole new experience.

Draco wrapped his arm protectively around Hermione when he noticed that the male tour guide was paying just a little too much attention to Hermione. Not that he could be blamed. Compared to the other woman on the bus, Hermione was by far the most beautiful and at a good age. There were several ladies that looked to be older than his mum and three of them were much too young. And also Hermione was a good audience. She listened with both ears ready and willing and her eyes told you that she was hanging onto your every word. The tour guide was definitely flattered. But she was also here with him.

"You're only supposed to look at me like that Granger." Draco whispered into her ear as he put both arms on either side of her, trapping her.

Hermione could feel his breath on the nape of her neck. As much as it should've felt uncomfortable for her, she felt quite the opposite. "What are you talking about?"

"I don't like you giving that bloke that look of yours."

"And what look is that."

"The look that shows the guy that he has your undivided attention."

Hermione craned her head back to look at him questioningly. "I do that?"

"Yes you do."

Before she could reply back, Draco kissed her right there square on her lips with her head still craned back.

"Oh young love." An elderly woman chuckled as she leaned against her husband.

"Yes, young love." He agreed entwining his old bony hand with hers.

"Here is where we will be having lunch." The tour guide said just as Draco and Hermione stopped kissing.

"We will be having fish and chips and a cup of Guinness for each adult. The kids have their choice of Soda. Our specialty in Ireland folks is the Guinness is one of the bestselling bears would wide. You will find that a Guinness in each pub is different than the other…"

Hermione laughed at Draco as he tried the Guinness. Obviously he often did not try new things because he kept making a weird look as he turned the glass around and around.

"Draco, it tastes a lot like butterbeer but it's less sweet and almost bready?"

"Why did you have to end your sentence with a question mark?"

"Oh just try it Draco." Hermione sighed.

After giving her a weary look he did at last try it.

"So?"

Draco licked the top of his lip where some foam lingered. "It's…not…bad."

Hermione laughed. "It's good to try new things Draco."
-------------

"So where are we headed now?"

"Galway, I have a meeting with some people at nine so we have four hours to get there and waste time."

"Okay." Hermione smiled softly. "Thank you for this Draco. One day you will make some woman a very happy woman."

"Why do you say that like it can't be you?"

"What?"

"Why do you say that like it can't be you?"

Hermione blushed. "Draco…"

"Bloody hell Granger, I think, no I know I love you, more than before even."

"Draco… wait what do you mean by before?"

Draco said nothing as he pulled to the side of the road. He kept driving through the unpaved road. They stopped just as a meadow appeared ahead of them.

He walked out of the door and conjured a bench right in the middle.

"Draco…"

"Please sit here." Draco said still not looking at her.

Hermione sat gingerly beside him.

"I fell in love with you on a Christmas, three years ago. When even though I knew you wanted to go home to be with your parents and the Weasley's. You chose to stay with me because you knew I couldn't go home. You chose me… do you know how much that meant to me? That you would've chose me Draco Bloody Malfoy, deatheater and family to murders."

"Draco." Hermione said weakly.

"Then you bought me those ridiculous muggle shoes."

"Converse."

"I looked them up on the Muggle Studies computers. I know the genuine ones aren't cheap. And mine were genuine."

"Draco…"

"I fell so in love with you, it broke my heart when Weasley came to claim you. Because then I remembered you weren't mine. You couldn't be mine. I was death and the devil in one and you were the angel that was so pure and innocent. I couldn't let myself tarnish you."

"Stop that!" Hermione cried as she sat directly in his lap. "Draco you are not any of that. Draco, you've never killed anyone in your life." '

"Dumbledore…"

"You've got to stop that. You can't fool anyone. You have two previous head masters that disagree with you. No one's going to believe that story now."

"Hermione…"

"Remember at the Gala when I told you I would've left Ron for you?"

"Yes."

"I wasn't caught in the moment. I wasn't playing. I was serious. I loved you then too. Maybe a little late than you fell for me but I loved you then. But you pushed me away! What did you expect was going to happen?"

"You were so torn between Weasley and me…"

"You know who I would've picked?"

"Like that's hard to guess." Draco said bitterly.

"I would've picked the person that hadn't made me chose."

Draco looked up sharply at her. "What?"

"Yes Draco, I would've picked you if you hadn't been such a prat and pushed me away."

"Me?" He repeated still shocked.

"Yes." Hermione said before leaning down to capture his lips.
------------------

Draco was only half listening to what the other men in suits around him were saying. His mind was still in that meadow.

"Are we done yet gentlemen?" Draco asked in a bored tone.

"Well yes." One said hesitatingly.

"Great then could we just wrap this up. It is late and I would like to head back to my hotel."

"Yes of course Mr. Malfoy sir."
--------------

Draco came back to the hotel with some flowers he had picked up.

As he put the key in the slot and opened the door, the first thing he noticed was that the room was dark.

"Hermione?"

There was no reply.

"Hermione?"

He turned on the light. He put down the flowers and checked the suite for her.

She was not in any of the rooms.

It was when he was getting back into the main living room that he noticed a newspaper on the coffee table.

Sadie Rayne Pregnant. Claims Draco Malfoy is the father!

"Oh shit!" Draco yelled before running out of the room.

"Have you seen a brunette wearing a yellow sundress come by?" Draco yelled at the poor guy at the front desk.

"Yes, she's in the bar."

"At the bar?"

"Yes."

Draco ran straight to the bar. He stopped suddenly though when he saw a familiar head of brown unruly hair sitting at the counter.

"Hermione…"

"I don't want to talk to you right now. Give me just a little space please. I'll be ready to face you after a few more drinks."

It was then that he looked closer and could see tears streaming off her face.

"Please Draco." Hermione said desperately.

"Fine, me too then, we'll talk about it in the morning."

"Thank you." Hermione whispered as she drowned another scotch.

"Three glasses of vodka." Draco told the bartender.
--------
woke up feeling horrible and her head was pounding horrendously. What had she done last night?

Now she remembered, she drank herself stupid. She stumbled into the bathroom. Hermione quickly took off her clothes and stepped into the shower. Hermione closed her eyes as she just let the water wash over her.